


Dungeons and Detectives

by klatukatt



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: A bit of a mention of relationships but not enough to mention in the tags, Character Development, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Less plot, More character development, Only two swears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-05-20
Packaged: 2018-11-02 19:58:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10951653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klatukatt/pseuds/klatukatt
Summary: Post season one, without the Blackwing twist, Amanda wants to DM a game of DnD and won't take no for an answer.Here are a few snippets from some of their gaming sessions.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [gentlychallenge](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/gentlychallenge) collection. 



> Part of the DGHDA Beginner Bang challenge!  
> UPDATE!  
> The Big Bang crew got me an artist and they outdid theirself! Check it out!  
> [Faintly Organized Art ](http://faintlyorganisedart.tumblr.com/post/161380087046/dungeons-and-detectives-by-klatukatt-post-season)

"I want to be named something fantastic, like Vitrol Hydrax the Magnificent!”

“Dirk, you haven’t even gotten your character yet.”

“Actually,” said Amanda as she handed Dirk his sheet, “I made you a chaos sorcerer so the name totally fits.”

Dirk looked over his sheet excitedly while Todd sat uneasily across from Amanda. Leaving the apartment or doing anything had been difficult for Todd since the pararibulitus set in so Amanda decided to force one of her hobbies on the group, stating that this way she could be mean vicariously through the game.

“Half elf?” asked Dirk. “Why don’t I get to be full elf?”

“Elves are pretentious,” Amanda replied without malice, “and you so don’t want to get caught up in their politics. And half elves get a better charisma bonus. Ah ha! Here’s yours, Todd.”

“A monk? What’s that mean in your world?” Todd’s voice held the usual amount of sarcasm he reserved for his sister.

“It means you punch stuff real good,” said Amanda in the same tone. “Read your sheet.”

Todd barely glanced at it before finding another complaint. “A halfling?”

“Because you’re short.”

“Aw, my little hobbit friend!” commented Dirk. “How tall are you?”

“I’m five six!” said Todd, defensively.

“No, in the game.”

“Um…. Two foot eight.”

“I’m twice your height!” Dirk wiggled excitedly in leiu of giving Todd a hug.

There was a knock on the door and it opened before anyone could react.

“Farah! You’re here!” said Amanda gleefully.

“Yes, here I am.” Farah set the two coffee cups she brought with her on the table to give Amanda a hug.

“Farah’s playing too?” Todd asked.

“Yeah, dummy,” Amanda answered. “Two characters do not make a well rounded team.” She slapped down a sheet before Farah could even sit. “I made you a fighter, which sounds simple but it means you are proficient with, like, all weapons, which I figured would be fun for you.”

“Oh, okay.” Farah always seemed flustered by new experiences but her friends had learned not to underestimate how fast she caught on.

“I also made you a dwarf for the bonus to constitution and strength; I hope you don’t mind.”

“That’s fine, I like dwarves.” Farah had finished shrugging off her coat. “Are these dwarves more Pratchett or Disney?”

“You read Discworld?” asked Amanda, amazed. Dirk had also zeroed in on the name and was staring with an intense smile.

“Yes. I haven’t read them all, but the Science of Discworld books are fascinating.” Farah noticed Dirk’s stare. “Do you like Discworld too?”

“No, but I love Good Omens.”

Amanda was suddenly holding a book. “The dwarves in this universe are a bit different to make them easy to play, but if you are interested please take the Player’s Handbook.”

“Great.” Farah took the book with a smile that Amanda did not often see, like if she had just handed over an unfamiliar and powerful weapon.

“Cool,” was all Amanda said to articulate this feeling and then went back to organizing her stack of notes.

Farah was skimming the Contents when Todd, who was not well read, interrupted.

“So if you are a dwarf you’re small, like me.”

Without looking up Amanda commented “Dwarves count as medium creatures. You are the only small character, Todd.”

“What?” He craned to look at Farah’s sheet. “How tall are you?”

“Four feet eight inches.” Farah had found her height much faster than Todd. “Why?”

Dirk smirked playfully. “You’re two feet taller than him.”

“All right.” Amanda sat and looked at her players. “I left the names blank so you could name yourselves once you got a feel for the character.”

“I think I want to be Vitri-ah,” said Dirk. “I think she should be female. Can I play a female?”

“Of course, dude! This is fantasy, you can be whatever you want. And your spell list is right here, I printed it from the computer so I didn’t have to write everything down.”

“Shelley,” said Farah still examining the book. After a moment she looked up. “My name is Shelley Ironfist.”

“Great!” Amanda folded her hands in front of her. “What about you, Todd?”

“Um, I don’t know…”

“You could just use the vampire method and spell your name backwards,” said Dirk out of nowhere. Amanda raised her eyebrows in surprise but Todd looked as cynical as ever.

“Doesn’t that always turn out bad for the vampire?”  
“Yes, but this is Dungeons and Dragons. Here, let me.” Dirk reached over to Todd’s sheet and started writing at a painful angle. “Your name is…. Ddot.”

Amanda burst out laughing and Farah covered a smirk, not yet knowing the boundaries of ridicule around Todd.

“Dirk, no, I can’t be a halfling monk named Dot. Erase it.”

“Oh, um, it’s in pen.”

Amanda was still laughing as she said, “Okay, ahh, Farah I’m going to need that book back. I’ve already put your background statistics on your sheet but now…” she fondled a handful of dice to make an unsettling clacking sound, “it’s time to roll for your personality.”

 

* * *

 

At the edge of a vast desert squats an unimpressive trading town. The constant sandstorms have figuratively desiccated the place leaving the buildings and residents as beige as the desert beyond. The only source of merriment is found at the tavern slash inn where colorful travelers stay as they pass through. Those that leave on their grand expeditions never return to the forgettable village. Here in the tavern we find three such travelers.

Vitria the Magnificent is astonishing the crowd with her sorcery. “This town could do with a bit of colour, yes?” With a wave of her hand and a murmured word the closest chair turns a bright violet.

The townsfolk applaud approvingly for though magic is common Vitria performed with such flourish that it impressed all who saw.

Shelley is not impressed. She does not trust humanoids, having literally been raised by wolves, and so sits apart from the crowd at the end of the bar.  
“Would you like an ale?” the bartender asks.

“That’s a bit racist, don’t you think?” Just because Shelley is a dwarf does not mean she drinks ale. “I will have water.”

Suddenly Dot is blown in from the sandstorm outside. Figuratively.

Hesitantly, Dot walks to the bar and orders a drink. He is annoyed at having to climb up on the stool.

Dot notices Shelley sitting alone at the end of the bar.

_“How pretty is Shelley?” Dirk interjects, out of turn._

_“What?” Farah asks._  
_“What’s your charisma score?”_

_“Only twelve.”_

_“Still,” Amanda grinned wickedly, “Todd should have to roll.”_

Dot slid, or hopped rather, down the bar closer to Shelley.

“Hey, ( _oh okay I’ll do it,_ ) ahem, can I buy you a drink?”

Shelley is strangely drawn to this small humanoid. It looks like a creature that has lost its pack and she feels a protective bond with Dot.

“No no,” Shelley says to the halfling, “I will feed you.” Shelley waves to the bartender and orders food for herself and the child.

_“I’m not a child,” Todd protested._

_“Roll insight.” Amanda glanced at the die and didn't ask for Todd’s modifier. “She’s buying you dinner, you think you are on a date.”_

The door opens once again. A red eyed human scans the place then staggers over to Vitria and grabs her arm. “Are you an adventurer?”

“Why I suppose I am,” Vitria answers pleasantly.

“We are in desperate need of adventurers. Please, come with me, our town is in terrible danger.” Shelley hears plea for help from a person longing to save their home while Dot hears a chance for making money and playing the hero.

“Hey,” says Dot, a little too loudly. “We are adventurers too.” Dot gestures at the dwarf next to him and smirks.

Shelley gently places a hand on Dot’s shoulder and nods solemnly.

“Splended!” Vitria claps her hands and smiles at her new friends. “Let’s go have a chat with the mayor then, shall we?”

 

 

The office of the mayor turns out to be her residence as well. There are papers strewn all over the tables and walls with no room for anything else. The mayor herself is a frazzled looking elf of indeterminate age. The man who brought you here is the deputy-mayor who handles the day to day business of the town while the mayor concerns herself with… other things.

“Yes please! Do come in! I am Mayor Nevara and of course you’ve met my council, Mr. Helder. Please don’t take a seat, I’m afraid they are all occupied.”

Dot successfully hides his disgust at the state of the place; Shelley is similarly uncomfortable while Vitria is entranced by the manic elf.

Mr. Helder looks concerned, however. “Nevara, when is the last time you rested?”

“Never mind that, Garth, I’ve found the solution to our troubles!” Nevara rushes to one wall and begins tracing diagrams with one finger. “The reason why the desert in expanding is simple: the lost temple of Aimefiri!”

_“The what?”_

_“Um, Aim-eh-feer-ee. Sorry, I didn’t practice saying it before hand.”_

“The what?” Dot asks.

“A holy ground for spirits of nature and the earth. It was lost long before sentient races came to this land. If it is restored the desert will recede.”

A look of recognition comes over Shelley’s face followed quickly by annoyance. “We will undertake this quest.”

“Now hold on,” Vitria intrudes, “Wouldn’t it be a simpler solution to simply move all the residents away?”  
“Are you saying creatures aren’t worth saving?” Shelley’s tone could have curdled milk.

“No, not at all,” says Vitria with surprise. “I am merely suggesting the near impossibility of finding a pre-historic temple in a desert besot with sandstorms.”

_“Besot? Nice!” said Amanda. “Point for you.”_

_Dirk grinned. “I like the feel of this world.”_

Dot musters to his full height of almost three feet. “Impossible or not, it’s our responsibility to this town and to the world to take on any challenge presented and try to solve it as best we can.” Whether or not it was Dot’s intention to merely impress Shelley with his words or to put an end to the squabble everyone in the room felt filled with confidence.

 

_“Ooo shit, that’s pizza!” Amanda exclaimed. “Everybody take five while I roll how long it takes to get there.”_

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

"Okay," said Amanda thumping down in her chair. "After last session's cock-up I've decided to just go with a pre-written campaign."

All eyes turned pointedly to Dirk. 

"What?" asked Dirk innocently. "I thought the cactus was perfectly obvious."

"It wasn't obvious to me and I wrote it!" Amanda was still a little exasperated with Dirk. 

"Well, it was a Wild Surge that brought the cactus to the astral plane," Todd jumped in, half to defend Dirk, half to antagonize his sister. “None of us knew that would happen."

"You aren't supposed to be able to take ride-alongs-- You know what? Never mind." Amanda picked up the bag she brought with her which, turned out to be a laptop case, and set about booting up the sucker and plugging it in.

"Um, isn't the laptop supposed to be facing you?"

"Not this one. Meet your new adventuring buddy."

The only icon on the desktop was Skype and Amanda click on the only contact.

"Lydia!" Dirk exclaimed. "Look, Todd, it's Lydia Spring!"

"Finally," came Lydia's slightly distorted voice from the computer speakers. “ I don't have forever to wait for this game, you know."

Amanda laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, right."

The door opened and Farah strode in with the Player's Handbook under one arm and a tray of coffees. "Hey, I'm here!" She paused long enough to be in the laptop's field of view. "Hi Lydia."

"You knew about this?" Todd asked with wide eyes as Farah took her seat. 

"Oh, well, we text a lot and I mentioned DND and Lydia insisted she got to play."

"Exactly," said Lydia after a moments delay. "I love dnd but I have only watched games on YouTube. All the players in my age group are, ehm, boys. I'd rather play with... friends, so I arranged things so I could join you."

"Yeaaaaah," continued Amanda. "Suddenly Lydia started calling and texting all the time for game details and then she sent me this."

Amanda gestured to the laptop and out of frame of the camera Farah mouthed 'sorry'.

"But how are you connected?" Todd asked. “My internet service has been shut off for months."

"You are in my dad's building. I arranged things."

"Oh, Amanda?" Farah interrupted, "I have a new character." She handed over a sheet of paper. "I mean, if that's okay. We're starting a new game and I just wanted to make my own."

Amanda scanned the sheet. “A ranger? Yeah, that's cool."

"I will be playing a warlock," Lydia announced. "Oh, and I will be recording sessions so I can listen to them later, I'd everyone is cool with that."

The group voiced their approval with a general consensus of "why not?" and Amanda slapped a book on the table. 

"Okay, let's try this again."

 

* * *

 

The occupants of the caravan feel the change in energy as they pass through the barrier. A foreboding, like a clammy, damp room settles over them as the spirit of Barovia invades their space. As soon as the caravan stopped the passengers are ready to disembark and stretch their legs.

Dot, the Halfling, stretches dramatically, as if he had been cramped in the wide wagon. “Remind me why we are here again?”

Vitria hops out excitedly. “Because of this letter we received! Cursed kingdom, despondent baron, send help! It’s perfect for us.”

The half-orc they had befriended on the journey approaches them. “I understand you are on a quest, and while our goals may not align fully, I insist on accompanying you on your journey. I am Rook, the Ranger.”

Vitria sticks out her hand then remembers her wild magic and contents herself with a simple bow. “I am Vitria Hydrax the Magnificent, and this is my companion, Dot.”

_“This is ridiculous,” Todd said. “I’m making a performance.”_

_“But you don’t have charisma-”_

_“I’m making an acrobatics check, though.”_

“You may want to protect us,” Dot says before cartwheeling into a handspring and lands gently on the roof of the caravan at Rook’s back, “but we may end up protecting you.”

“I can see there is much more to you than meets the eye,” Rook replies.

A hot breeze distracts them, drawing their gaze to the last figure departing the wagon. This tiefling has impressively large horns and smiles wickedly as he strides towards the other three adventurers. “We haven’t been properly introduced. I am Prince Zorkas of the Seven Isles and the four of us are going to, ahem, free this land from its curse.”

 

 

_“So Farah and Lydia both get hints?”_

_“Yeah, because they asked. Just play it by ear and you’ll be fine.”_

The adventurers locate the nearest bar quickly and go in to wait for their contact. Zorkas scans the room for enemies and allies while the other three inquire after drinks at the bar.

“Cup of wine, two copper, flagon, one silver,” the bar-hand says blandly.

“How much?” Vitria blinks in astonishment.

“Is that cheap?” Dot asks his companions slyly.

“Got any ale?”

The bar-hand stares at Rook.

_The group stares at Farah._

_“New character, remember?”_

A blank look comes over the bar-hand’s face. “Flagon, one silver. Cup, two copper.”

The adventurers study the face of the human behind the bar. Dot dismisses it as an idiot human, where Rook recognizes it as one of the rumored ‘souless’ people of this land. Rook mentions this to Vitria, who is crestfallen at the news.

“Here,” Vitria hands the bar-hand a gold piece. “We’ll take two flaggons, and the rest is for you.”

This comment did not go unnoticed by the tough looking trio near the door and Dot takes that as his cue to distract them.

“You guys find our contact,” Dot whispers. “Friends!” he says loudly. “I’m new in town and looking for some fun. Are you playing cards?”

As Dot wanders away Zorkas spots a heavily armored young woman in the far corner who has been casually staring at the newcomers and nods Zorkas over once they make eye contact. Rook and Vitria were left to carry the wine and glasses.

“Greetings, I am Prince Zorkas of the Seven Isles, and this is my traveling party.”

“Hold on, who made you the leader?” asked Vitria as she pours the wine.

“My apologies, this is Vitria Hydrax the Magnificent,” Zorkas gestures to Vitria who turns the wine into an explosion of confetti with a large grin, “and Rook, the Ranger.” Rook shrugs while swapping out one flagon for the other, full container. “We received an interesting letter.” Zorkas nods to Vitria who pulls the letter out of her pocket.

“This is a plea for aid from the burgomaster of your town.”

_“You got an actual prop?” Todd asked, amazed._

_“Hey, it’s cannon,” replied Amanda._

The woman across the table looks shocked. “You can’t have, my father has been dead these past two years.” She looks over the letter and shakes her head. “This is not his writing. You must have been tricked by the deceiver.” She lowers her voice. “You must come to my house; it is not safe to talk here.”

She gives a suggestive glance at the group now dealing Dot into their card game.

“Then it’s best we aren’t seen together,” Rook comments.

“Perhaps, but since we already have been spotted we can turn the situation to our advantage.” Zorkas raises his voice and begins to yell at the woman. “Your family will not get away with tax fraud! Now take us to your house immediately. You are under arrest!”

With many meaningful glances from Zorkas, Rook begrudgingly grabs the woman by the shoulders and steers her toward the door while the ‘captive’ does an adequate impression of being scared.

Vitria follows while shouting various bluffs including: “You can’t escape the law! We’re tax collectors!” The collected outburst startles the group playing cards with Dot, who seizes the opportunity to secretly pocket some loose change.

“Sorry guys,” Dot feigns. “Gotta collect those taxes.”

 

_“So your first impression in this town is yall are thugs?” Amanda asked._

_“Hey, you gotta intimidate to get any respect,” Lydia said first._

_“I agree,” said Farah. “If we are to believe this land is super cursed we can’t take any chances.”_

_“Cursed?” asked Dirk. “Can I ask what exactly this place is all about?”_

_“You can roll a history in game.” Amanda smiled. “But I want to keep YOU, Dirk, as in the dark as possible.”_

_“At least I got some cash,” said Todd, shrugging, but he was smiling as well._


	3. Chapter 3

“So, you’ve burned down two buildings in the first town and smashed up two buildings in the second town. I wonder what’s going to happen when you get to the creaky old mansion.” Amanda tried to sound serious but she was really more amused.

“Quick question before we start,” Dirk raised his hand to ask. “Are we an evil team now?”

Amanda shrugged but Lydia had an answer ready. “Technically, only Zorkas is evil.”

“But he’s the leader of the party. Who made him the leader anyway?” Todd gestured comically at laptop. “No offence, Lydia.”

“It’s okay, I’m just good at leading.” Lydia sounded proud and stuck up her chin just like her character would.

“Hi,” said Farah as she shut the door. “Sorry I’m late as usual but I got chatting with Melanie at the coffee shop.”

“Yeah?” Amanda asked, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

“Ooh!” Dirk interjected. “Is she the one with long black hair and the adorable glasses?”

“Um… yeah Dirk.” Farah did not quite succeed at hiding her blush. “Anyway we’re not here to chat about real life. What were you discussing?”

“Why we’re evil,” Todd replied.

“I keep telling you, only Zorkas is evil.”

“Well,” Farah looked at Amanda from the corner of her eye. “I _have_  been thinking about a new, lawful good character to even out the party.”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Dude, seriously? I got some good stuff planned for Rook. Plus, you have The Sword.”

“Oh yeah, The Sword. He’ll keep us… good? I’m not really sure.”

“Yes, the Sword will need to be dealt with,” said Lydia with narrowed eyes. “What? I’m in character. Let’s play.”

“Okay, you arrive at a dilapidated mansion/castle set high up the mountain…”

 

* * *

 

 

Rook’s insight leads him straight to the wine pantry. There is no wine cellar as the mansion is built on a rock plateau and no dwarves ever colonized this valley.

While Rook searches for unlooted bottles of alcohol he instead finds a wounded elf.

Vitria, intrigued, approaches the wounded creature but it is unlike any elf she has ever seen.

“Please, don’t hurt me. My name is Sadin.”

“Hello, Sadin. I’m Vitria the Magnificent, and these are my companions.”

Dot nods to the elf while covering the door they came in while Zorkas explores the room beyond.

“Tell me, what manner of elf are you?” Vitria is enthralled by his pale and dull skin which seems to fade into the surfaces around him.

 

“Ahem, don’t you want to know what hurt him?” Dot asks with a tired smirk.

“Yes, that too,” Vitria continues.

“Oh, well I’m a Dusk Elf and as far as I know one of the last of my kind. As for who hurt me,” Sadin hisses in pain, “it was the Vistani we thought protected us.”

Rooks ears prick up at this comment. “We know of the Vistani and how they trick people into this land.”

Dot and Rook share a knowing look while Vitria remembers her magic. “Oh!” she exclaims. “Let me heal you.” After a muttered word and a rainbow of glowing light Sadin is much better and Vitria looks about expectantly but no surprises jump out at her.

After a moment, Zorkas returns to the room and Dot’s keen eye can see the prince slipping something into a side pocket.

_“Did Zorkas just loot without us?”_

_“Roll an insight.”_

“Nothing but a dead end there,” Zorkas says confidently.

“Great,” Dot sighs, “now it’s either the room with the giant spiders, which is a BIG nope—”

“You don’t like spiders?” Vitria interrupts.

“No.” Dot looks disgusted. “No. Especially not giant ones.”

_Todd glared at Amanda._

“So,” Dot continues forcefully, “that leaves the doors at the end of the hall.”

“Wait,” Sadin cautions. “The creatures that reside here are powerful and strange. They only attack those they consider a threat and you,” Sadin looked over the party, “could be considered threatening.”

“Moi? A threat?” Zorkas almost looks aghast but then smiles. “Thank you.”

Rook simply pulls out The Sword which glows with a holy radiance. “Let’s do this.”

 

_“I still can’t believe you gave Farah a lightsaber,” Todd said._

_“Hey! It’s in the campaign!” Amanda protested._

_“I would like to know what a Dusk Elf is and why they are so rare,” Dirk asked with his interrogation face on._

_“There is actually some pretty interesting lore on that,” Amanda replied. “But you’ll have to investigate in game to find it out.”_

_“Okay, what did Zorkas get?” Farah stared down Lydia through the laptop camera._

_“Oh, just some new information to update his goals.” Lydia’s smugness radiated from the computer._

_“Kid, I’ve seen that smile. Are you gonna destroy the world?”_   
_Lydia laughed. “Maybe.”_

_“Alright, that’s enough side conversation.” Amanda clapped her hands loudly. “You ready for this?”_

_The group voiced their excitement and dove back in._


	4. Chapter 4

Rook burst into the chapel where the corpses waited.

_Todd shook his head. “I told you they were in there.”_

_Farah grinned wickedly. “I know.”_

Three of the rotting figures rush the half-orc who parries two blows and then takes a slash on the arm. These enemies are clearly dead but at different stages of decomposition as if they had died at different times. The armor they wear does not seem suited to the body on which it sits.

Rook is now completely boxed in on three sides which is to the advantage of the monk who runs up the back of one, does a flip over Rook’s head and lands on another’s shoulders. The force of Dot’s landing topples the corpse and he pummels it all the way down.

From the shadow of the doorway fire coalesces around Vitria’s hand and launches at one of the two enemies still flanking Rook. It sizzles and burns against its armor and the creature twitches in pain but the moist, rotting flesh looks only seared. Vitria claps her hand to her head as if she’s been hit.

_“Oh, Dirk.” Amanda hisses in a breath between her teeth. “You have x-ray vision for the next 5 rounds. I’m gonna be writing you lots of notes.”_

Even further down the hallway Zorkas sets his sights on the only corpse not to have attacked Rook and sends two translucent blasts of fire. The creature’s head snaps back only two roll disconcertingly upright and fix Zorkas in its gaze. Zorkas could feel the cold rage settle over him as he was marked in his own style.

“Oh shit,” Zorkas casually remarks.

_“Lydia!”_

_“Farah, I’m in character.”_

Before he can react, Zorkas takes two crossbow bolts to the torso. “Ow.”

Rook attacks like lightning, sword zipping from one enemy to the other, doing massive damage, but is unable to push back their attack.

Rook takes two more hits that are less potent than before, but Dot is flipped over and caught in a grapple.

“A little help here?” Dot gasps as his fists sink into dissolving flesh. He doesn’t have enough strength to push the larger creature off and is caught too well to twist away.

“I’ve got it!” Vitria had her hand over her eyes which did not fill Dot with confidence, but all three rainbow bolts struck true and Dot was able to break the grip of his attacker.

Zorkas unleashes another ball of energy against his foe, this time tinted with something silver. “I think not,” he says quietly and waits for the fool to attack before raising his other hand and releasing the energy he had been storing all this time. The corpse’s crossbow burst into flame first, followed quickly by the rest of the creature, immolating it entirely.

With one neat stroke Rook cuts up one foe and down the other, dismembering them to a point of uselessness. He shifts five feet closer to the last moving creature scrabbling ineffectually after Dot.

_“I want to use my inspiration for another attack.”_

_“All right, roll it.”_

“No more,” Rook says as he raises the Sun Sword.

_“Nat 20.”_

_“Holy crap, um, I gotta think up something special for this…”_

In one swing Rook beheads the revenant. A spectral form can be seen rising from this form that hadn’t from the others.

“Thank you,” the shade says. “You have freed me from my madness.”

“Who are you?” Dot asks. Even Vitria peeks through her fingers to see the specter.

“We were the Knights of the Silver Dragon, once the true defenders of this valley. After the curse separated this land from the rest of reality we fought until we fell, but our souls could not move on to any afterlife so we came back inhabiting any dead flesh we could find. We tried to keep fighting in the name of Good but after centuries of being forced into new bodies madness overtook all logic and we became the mindless drones you see before you.”

* * *

 

Amanda stopped when she realized how quiet the others had become. “What?”

“Oh, um, you weren’t quite there for that part…” Todd started.

“The bad guys in the Patrick Spring case were body swappers,” Dirk filled in.

“And all the ‘soul swapping’ kinda turned them into mindless zombies,” Farah finished.

“Also, you know.” Dirk tried to point at the laptop surreptitiously.

“I can see you, you know.” Lydia sounded serious, but not much more than usual. “Yes, I had my soul swapped with a dog, and yes, it can drive you a little crazy.”

“Oh jeez, I’m sorry guys.” Amanda put her hands on her head. “I can like, totally skip ahead. You won’t like anything in this dungeon.”

“No, it’s cool,” Lydia said before anyone else had the chance.

“Yeah, it’s just a game,” Farah agreed. “We can deal with it, but maybe differently than, say, any other group might want to play it.”

“As long as it’s not giant spiders,” Todd said.

“So, what is it about spiders?” Dirk asked innocently.

“GIANT spiders!” Todd protested. “They just freak me out.”

The group turned to teasing Todd about his totally legitimate phobia, knowing that they could face their past trauma in their time, on their terms.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my DM, my husband, for helping me be a better player, creator, and writer.


End file.
